Convening for Action in British Columbia

Workshop Module B: Embracing Rainwater – Water Balance Benefits

Note to Reader:

On December 3, 2013 the Partnership for Water Sustainability and the Irrigation Industry Association of BC (IIABC) are joining forces to co-host a workshop that will explore regulatory requirements, water balance benefits and practical applications of rainwater harvesting design and operation. The workshop is structured as four cascading modules.

In the second of four modules, the team of Kirk Stinchcombe, Carolyn Drugge and Richard Boase will speak to the benefits of utilizing rainwater as a resource in the urban environment; and will elaborate on how these benefits cascade from region to neighbourhood and site when practitioners view the Water Balance from a systems perspective..

TO REGISTER for the workshop, go to the IIABC website: https://www.irrigationbc.com/irrigation/courses/view_scheduled/119

TO DOWNLOAD a copy of the Program Overview, click on Get Your Mind Into the Gutter: A Workshop on Rainwater Harvesting in British Columbia.

Living Water Smart: Doing Business Differently in British Columbia

Many BC communities are often water-short when demand is greatest. And now our climate is changing. To future-proof communities, the 45 actions and targets in Living Water Smart, British Columbia’s Water Plan establish expectations for doing business differently. This provincial target frames the learning outcomes for the workshop: 50% of new municipal water needs will be acquired through conservation by 2020.

“We have structured the workshop program as four modules,” explains Kim Stephens, Partnership Executive Director and Workshop Moderator. “The modules are cascading. First, we will set the big picture, with an emphasis on changes to the BC Plumbing Code that support Living Water Smart goals. Then we will highlight incentives to utilize rainwater as a resource. After that, we will delve into the practical details of implementing rainwater harvesting. We will conclude with a town-hall segment on greatest challenges.”

Team B Storyline

Kirk Stinchcombe, a founder of Econics, has published and spoken internationally on topics including rainwater harvesting, water use accounting, community-based social marketing and water pricing. Previously, he was the Manager of Operational Policy with the BC Ministry of Environment’s Water Stewardship Division. He also spent much of the last decade in Australia, where he led large-scale demand management projects as part of the “Millennium Drought” response. His topic is The Role of Rainwater in a Demand Management Program that Works.

Carolyn Drugge is a senior policy analyst for the City of Vancouver’s Water and Sewer Division, working on water conservation and stewardship. With a master’s degree in Whole Systems Design and more than 20 years of experience in public service, Carolyn is passionate about exploring the possibilities for improving quality of life through strengthening the relationships between citizens and the infrastructure that serves them. Her topic is Embracing Rainwater: Community-Scale Resilience Building Projects.

Richard Boase is the District of North Vancouver’s Environmental Protection Officer. A geoscientist, he is also Co-Chair of the Water Balance Model Partnership. Richard is an innovator and is the District’s project manager for case study demonstration applications that have been driving the evolution of the Water Balance Model for the past decade. He is the Partnership’s lead for development of the web-based Water Balance Model Express for Landowners. His topic is Water Balance Model: Introducing the Rainwater Harvesting Module.